Puritatis Floris
by DarkHeartsZero
Summary: Flower of Purity. "Why can't I go outside?" the little girl asked, staring out of her window.  "The world is filled with horrible people, that's why your father isn't with us. I cannot lose you, too."  "Yes, mother."  Lady Gothel smiled at her flower. AU
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone! This is my first Tangled fanfic ever, and it's very different from what I've seen so far on this site... I got the idea when I listened to Mother Knows Best Reprise, and it just stuck with me. So, yeah. :3 I hope you guys enjoy this! I do realize it has been more than a year since I even _glanced_ at my Tinkerbell fanfic, but lately, I have kind of been in a dark place... So I haven't really been in the right mindset to rewrite it. Things are slowly getting better, hence why I've put this new fic up. I hope I can finally get the revised _Only Destruction_ up, and while I rewrite it, I'm gonna try to think of a different name for it. Anyone have any suggestions? Feel free to pm me or even review O_nly Destruction_ to give me ideas or opinions.**

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><p>Children ran excitedly past a small cottage on the outskirts of a recently-settled village, just built and inhabited by a woman and a few men she had "persuaded" to use their skills in construction. Off she sent them when their duties were done and they had relaxed, drunk off of rum and the attention she had given them; it was nothing explicit, simply a bit of fawning, followed by a few glasses of the rum she had been given by a merchant that had admired her appearance. She would never resort to selling her beautiful body for clothes or gold, or even food or shelter. She loved her beauty more than anything else, and would never do anything that could compromise it. Once the body, no matter how beautiful or ripe, did something tainted, it too became such, and would wither and lose it's beauty.<p>

And Dame Gothel would have none of that.

Once the men were out of sight, she laughed quietly to herself, and stood before a mirror, fixing her hair for a moment, admiring her own beauty; her black curls framing her young face, eyes piercing and without wrinkles, fair skin flawless. How the men chased her for these traits was amusing, for it got her everything she ever desired, even when she was a child. A single bat from her long, curly lashes would have her father melting to her every whim, and any boys would do as she asked.

_Men are so weak_, she thought with a chuckle. _One pretty little thing, and they go out of their way to please it._

And so, the young Dame Gothel went about her life in such a way, doing little oddjobs to earn precious metals-turned coins or other items that could be traded for her groceries for the day. But once that had been done, she did her share of flirting and non-explicit seducing to get what she _really_ wanted. Fabrics and sewing supplies for new dresses or for seasonal clothing, along with perfumes and makeup, being what she normally asked for from the weakest and richest of the men, alone with little trinkets and jewelry. This way of life lasted for ten years for the beautiful Dame, allowing her little cottage, hardly even big enough to store all of her clothes anymore, to be expanded by men she had to simply smile at to persuade.

Those years passed quickly, day by day, for the seductress who had not yet given it up. And then she decided, now was the time to marry a rich man, and, if she_ had _to please him, bare a child.

But, upon reaching the halfway-mark between her twentieth and thirtieth year, lady Gothel stared in horror at her own reflection. Crow's feet had begun setting in, but she hadn't noticed til now. And now, oh, it was too late! She was living her worst nightmare!

_No! I cannot let this little blemish stop me..._ she thought in an attempt to calm herself. _I know. I'll go to the market and have that Gunther man give me some fabrics and makeup._

But upon arriving and attempting her normal facade of temptation to all things of the male persuasion, Gunther just looked at her, before handing her desired items over. She smiled and turned to walk off, but gasped upon being pulled back over by her arm.

"That's gonna cost two silver pieces," Gunther said, holding out his hand expectantly.

Dame Gothel's facade remained, but inwardly, she was in a panic. Her piercing eyes flickered from the items to Gunther's face, then she batted her lashes a few times.

"Oh, you don't _really_ want to charge _me_, do you?" she asked, leaning in close and allowing the sweet scent of her perfume to intoxicate the man, who then gave her his usual expression of total submission to the beauty before him. And with that, she walked off towards another shop, silently and nervously wondering of the outcome of the rest of her endeavors for the day.

Upon arriving home, personal items and groceries in hand, she set the things down, before letting out a shriek of annoyance. It had taken twice as long for those _stupid men_ to come around than it ever did! She had to practically pull her sleeve an inch below her shoulder to persuade them! This _was_ her worst nightmare!

Dame Gothel went to bed in tears that night, knowing what was to come for herself for the next miserable years of her life. And every night since, for the next five years, she has gone to bed sadder and sadder than the night before.

Another dreadful day of aging passed, far to long of a day for Dame, and as she was sewing the hem onto her newest dress, she gasped as she pricked her finger. "Oh!" she groaned, seeing a little bead of ruby form, then drop onto the fabric. "_Curse it _all!" she exclaimed, throwing the now-ruined dress in the first direction she could see. And then she threw the matching shoes (shoes that she had practically had to _strip_ for...) over in the same direction, when she heard something shatter. She was silent as she stared at her ruined mirror, pieces falling to the floor, before getting up and approaching it.

It was upon seeing her reflection that she shrieked in absolute horror, taking in her own appearance. Her skin was spotting and wrinkled, her eyes were baggy and had lost their shine, and her hair, oh her beautiful hair! It had turned white as the snow!

Dame Gothel screamed, leaping out from underneath her bedsheets.

_This HAS to end!_ Dame thought in a true panic from her nightmare, knowing it would only come true as the years went on. She _already_ had a streak of grey! And her figure had thickened, but was otherwise still appealing, unlike in the dream... She shivered, almost feeling _sick_ from seeing herself in that old age.

She had not yet married, even been courted, nor had she been able to at least bear a child, no matter the opinions of others. As if she truly wanted one, and she scoffed at the thought; she would only bear a child if she had to give a rich man an heir. And if she couldn't accomplish this now, then all she _really_ wanted was to remain young and beautiful, no matter the price.

And given her appearance, she wouldn't be courted any time, soon.

Dame Gothel stood and stared at her darkened reflection in her mirror, her eyes cold at this realization. She couldn't have a man, his riches, or a family. And with this in mind, she spoke in an icy tone, mostly to herself, but to her own aging reflection as well, as if a command. "I will remain young and beautiful forever, no matter the price..."

_No matter the price._

And so, it had come down to this, as Dame practically had to _dance_ for an older man who owned a shop in town, to get the books she required from him. She gave him a smile, but inwardly wished the plague upon him for becoming less interested in her, like all the others. But instead she just took the books from him and went on her way, hurrying home with them clutched tightly in her arms.

And when she made sure her house was locked up, she tossed the books down, throwing her shawl onto her bed, practically radiating her nearly psychotic obsession and grabbing as many candles as her arms could carry. She lit them with haste, and then opened up the first of the five books (how she managed to carry them all in her arms all the way to her house was truly beyond her, she just did it) and turned several pages.

"For a woman to look young again, she simply has to believe, for if she believes, anything is possible through the power of the Lord, Jesus Christ..." Dame trailed off, before flipping several pages in disbelief. _That damned old man gave me a book on the bible?_ "And if one wishes to feel young, she simply has to believe..." Dame went silent in rage as she flipped through the book, scanning the main statements.

_This is absolute _nonsense_! It's all the same thing over and over! _Dame thought with a snarl, throwing the book aside carelessly.

She grabbed onto the second book flipping it open with a needy look in her eyes. She read, and read, flipping the pages ever so often, before crying out and throwing the book against the wall, knocking the pages out of the cover and breaking the spine.

_There _has_ to be _something_! _Dame thought, her eyes wide as she now scanned the third book.

Hours passed by, and she went back and forth between the books, desperation clear in her eyes. All she needed was one, just _one _little hint as to a true way, a working way, of regaining her youth! She didn't care what it took! She'd cut off all of her hair and burn it in a ceremony, if she had to! She'd cut her hand and sacrifice her blood!

Dame Gothel sighed weakly, turning the page of the forth book one last time before her head thumped onto the pages at midnight. The candles flickered, before the flames slowly shrunk and died out, the candles now out of wax and string. And she slept, all the way through until morning, exhausted from her frantic reading.

But when morning came, the sun peeking through her windows and the breeze creaking the window open wider, Dame awoke. She instantly knew something was amiss. She had _made sure_ to lock all of her windows and doors and keep them shut. Her eyes shot open and darted around her house, before setting on the puddles of rainwater, and her items strewn carelessly around the room.

A storm had gone on in the night and she had been entirely unaware.

Dame sighed, rubbing her eyes in defeat. Reading all night, she had found nothing.

"This is useless!" Dame thought, tears forming in her wrinkling eyes. She let out a sob, her curly hair falling in her face as she curled over the book she had slept on. Her tears only quickened in their escape as she saw her grey streak as plain as day before her eyes, and she wiped at her eyes uselessly. "Why bother? I'm going to die an ugly old hag with nothing but clothes that don't fit her right!" she sobbed loudly, knowing no one could hear. "I might as well just die _now_, while I'm still a _little_ bit attractive!" she cried, sitting up. "Perhaps I've already caught my death from the storm..."

And just as those evil thoughts entered Dame's mind, a chilling wind picked up and blew through the room, causing Dame to jump as more things were strewn about. Once the wind had died down again, she noticed another book had just landed before her. "I... I forgot about this one," Dame said, hope welling within her shallow heart as she stared at the fifth book. "I must have been so busy and terrified, that I forgot this was even here..." She opened the book carefully, almost afraid that if she weren't gentle, the book would somehow lose its contents and the knowledge would be lost forever. Dame sucked in a deep breath, and slowly let it out, opening the book to it's table of contents.

_A spell book...?_ Dame thought, eyebrows furrowing for a moment. She scanned the chapter list, until her eyes rested upon a chapter that was named _The Two Eternals: Youth and Beauty._ Hope rose and filled Dame to the brim and she turned to the correct page and read, word for word, what the chapter had to tell her. It was through this that she discovered a spell that would guarantee her exactly what she wanted of life.

And it just so happened that the most important ingredient had been growing in her backyard for years.

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><p><strong> And here's the end of the Prologue! Review this fic please. :3 It's AU, and I really hope it turns out the way I have thought it out to be. More will be revealed in the next chapter, no worries!<strong>


	2. Prologue, part 2

**Hello again, everyone! It is currently 5 am here, and I have finally finished this next chapter! But, to warn you guys, this is part two of the prologue, which is three separate parts that all make up the beginning of this story. So, when I publish the fourth chapter, it will technically be chapter one, and it is where our beloved Rapunzel comes in!**

**I'm not really sure what else to say but that I'm REALLY sorry this took so long for me to update. It's not neglect, it's just.. lack if inspiration. And not wanting to rush through it. I seriously love this fanfiction so much already, and it's not even really written yet. But I'm not gonna be the type of author that updates every few days just because i get excited over reviews. Yes, reviews HELP and give me a bit more inspiration, but i won't risk the quality of this fanfic by rushing through this. So there may be LONG intervals between updates.**

**Speaking of which. The main reason this one took so long is, well... I have dealt with a recent death in my family and it has just caused alot of chaos to get everything in order since. Inspiration was put on hold in favor of sanity, which I actually don't have much of anymore lately because of a sever insomnia episode. Yeah. Nuff said, right? Anyway. I am going to be counting how many words are in this author's note, so then you guys can know how many words are in the actual written chapter. In the Author's Note: 268 words. Enjoy!**

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><p>The morning sun shone brightly in the sky, warming the expanding village from the previous night's chill; spring was arriving, so it was neither hot, nor cold, but the weather interchanged between warm and cool depending on the time of day and month, never allowing for any person to be able to be truly ready for the day-by-day weather. A few birds chirped, and flew by, as if in a playful game of tag.<p>

Dame Gothel awoke with a feeling of refreshment, before pulling herself out of bed. _Let's see... Today, I have to go to the market, same as usual... Hm... I'm almost out of makeup. Perhaps I'll see Demitri in town and get some..._ Dame pondered for a few moments, before grabbing a brush and pulling it easily through her hair, applying what was nearly the last of her makeup, and then pulling on a pearl necklace she had been given years ago... All of these things without looking once at her own reflection.

_Such a pity... Today is the day, _Dame Gothel thought with an inner sneer, before going into the kitchen and quickly preparing herself some breakfast. A fried egg with a slice of bread, her favorite. She ate quickly, sipping some tea, before getting up and looking to the second bedroom, her piercing, icy blue-grey eyes the only gateway to her true self, the coldness within her heart. She kept her smile upon her lips, approaching the open door with quiet movements. _And what a day it shall be._

She crept slowly over to the sleeping mound under the blankets of the second bed. Her long, slender fingers crept over without touching, and she paused for a moment, taking notice of a spot forming on her now-wrinkling hand. Her smile disappeared as she stared at it for that long moment, her long nails suddenly feeling like menacing, sharp claws as she gripped onto the top of the blanket, careful not to wake the mound as it slept, slowly and calmly breathing. She looked like a predator, the way she glared at her clawed hands, gripping the blanket tightly, her nails almost tearing through it. Her heart raced as her eyes locked onto her target, her curls falling over her eyes as they widened, a predator-like smirk upon her lips.

"Good morning!" she cheered with a laugh, her normal smile making it's way back onto her face as she pulled the covers off of the sleeping girl, who was curled up cutely in her warm bed. Dame tickled the girl playfully, and she awoke with a giggle.

"Mother!" the girl sat up and writhed a bit, playfully pushing on Dame's shoulders. "What is it- ahaha- are you going- haha- out?" she gasped, before letting out a sigh, Dame releasing her tickle-grip on her daughter. Dame laughed a bit, brushing her slightly-greying curly bangs from her eyes.

"Oh, yes, darling, I am. But, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday, first," Dame replied, sitting up again. "You're eighteen, and I'm so proud of the beautiful young woman you've become." Dame looked her up and down, before sighing with a mix of sadness and happiness. "I love you."

The girl sat upright, bright blue eyes and auburn hair contrasting with pale skin much like Dame's. She giggled, pale cheeks turning pink. "I love you, more," she said, hugging Dame in complete and utter adoration and devotion. Dame returned the hug and gave her a kiss on the head, petting the auburn hair.

"I'm going to town, and I hope you can stay out of trouble while I go get all of the ingredients for your birthday cake."

"A cake?" the girl gasped, eyes wide and excited. "Oh, mother, you haven't made me a cake since I turned thirteen! Thank you so much!"

Dame laughed, standing up. "Of couse, darling! I would do anything for you," she said, grabbing her basket, her facade not wavering in the slightest as she eyed the girl, before turning and looking towards the kitchen, her smile turning to a smirk for only half of a second, before returning to it's false sweetness of a mother's happiness. "Fix yourself something special for breakfast, darling, perhaps tend to our flower... Just don't-"

"-leave the property or go into the open, and stay behind the wall and gate. I know, mother," the young woman giggled, getting out of bed and slipping out of her pink nightgown. Dame stood still for a long moment of internal aggravation, before silently sighing and then turning to her with the facade still in place. "I promise, I won't," she continued for a moment, pulling her head through the collar of a baby-blue dress, giggling happily at the lace and frills of her favorite garment.

Dame's smiled brightened. "That's a good little flower," she replied with a teasing chuckle, then kissed her goodbye before closing the front door to the cottage and then locking the gate as she exited the property.

And off Dame went, her smile fading only when she was sure _no one_ could see it. Now, if only to calm herself, so no one was suspicious... But oh, that girl, how annoying that little giggle was today! Dame clenched tightly onto her basket, then sighed once more, her eyes finally able to match her own _true_ expression. _It's the price of beauty,_ she told herself for the what seemed like the millionth time. So long, eighteen years, it had been since she last performed the spell... The flower had died off and in it's place, sprung a new flower to be used again, and then, once the petals had been taken, it would die off and be reborn once more, only growing within her garden. She had simply had a _vast_ amount of luck in this little, but important, fact. She took advantage nonetheless, not wasting that magic any longer.

_Anyone who ever knew of such power and wasted it, should be put to death,_ she thought with a laugh, smirking. Then her smile faded. _No... I can't let my emotions get the better of me. I only have to pretend for just a little while longer, just a few more hours... And then I'll finally be able to..._ Dame's thoughts were interrupted as the town came into view. Immediately, now an unconscious mechanism, her facade returned, the carefree smile gracing her beautiful lips, as even her own true thoughts were replaced by ones of a doting and protective mother, as if she were afraid the townsfolk could hear her thoughts. A facade of hers that could get under anyone's skin, and would subconsciously let them know, that despite her appearance, she would not hesitate to protect what was precious to her. Whatever that was, that she held dear, no one really knew, but that little implied threat didn't stop the men from noticing her and falling under her constant seductive spell.

"Good morning, lady Gothel!" Demitri, who resembled Gunther only slightly, said with the goofy smile he was known for, just as Gunther was.

Dame's smile remained. _Exactly as it should be,_ she thought, before batting her eyes and pouting her lips slightly. "Demitri, dear," she drawled, curling a lock of hair around a finger with her sweet, sweet tone, "I'm craving something _sweet..._" she continued, tilting her head to the side and staring him down with her icy eyes. "Do you have the ingredients for cake?"

The shopkeeper stared, his hazel eyes darting from her smile, to her eyes, to her twirling lock of hair, before gulping. "Yes, Lady, I do!" he said after a moment of just staring, placing the items robotically in her basket without a thought of profit-loss. "Would this be a special occassion, then?"

Dame laughed a bit, tilting her shoulder slightly to him, before turning, sticking her hip out to the side ever-so-slightly, but enough for the man to see and stare at. "That's my business, now, isn't it?" she said, before going off to a second shop with her innocent giggle.

Her usual shopping experience had been the same, besides a young man, shallow in his tastes, who had made her pay simply because of a few strands of grey in her hair. She inwardly cursed him, but retained her smile, paying for her groceries for the day. She would have been angrier, and possibly would have "accidentally" knocked over some of the merchandise, had he not had the _decency_(and she used the word lightly) to only charge her half of the normal price.

A few women gave her their usual stares, jealousy and disapproval seething from them in their stoic attitudes towards Dame. _Jealous little swines,_ Dame thought, and then thought no more of them. Every woman in any generation she had encountered had been jealous of her. Even her own mother. Dame giggled and walked off again, hushing those memories, as to not draw any _unneeded_ type of attention with any reaction she may have to reliving those moments in public. _Oh, mother, you poor, poor hag,_ she thought, and then set off once more towards her cottage, her groceries and other items in the basket dangling from her slender arms.

And only then, once she was back in the woods, where no one dwelled but herself and the occassional nomad, did she allow the memories to flow back.

Her first clear, vivid memory of her father, who had dressed her up in a dress he had worked for a year to save for, was the one in which he twirled her around happily, and then took her for a walk through their garden, which seemed gigantic due to her small size. She had been taken to a bush, where one single rose had survived from all the rest. Father told her to care for it, and as long as it lived, and was undamaged, she would be equally beautiful. And so, at four years old, she cared for it every day, with father. Mother had watched from inside the house, jealousy clear in her eyes at her own daughter, for stealing her beloved husband's every moment of waking attention away. And one day, weeks later, having had enough of her daughter's spoiled attitude, mother had decided to take little Dame's precious flower while father was out working. Dame had been watering it carefully, humming sweetly to herself as she brushed a lock of black curls behind her ear, when mother burst outside with an obvious intent. The fight between Dame and her mother had lasted an hour, with the little Dame clawing at mother's legs over and over to protect her flower. And protect it, she did. Even at the expense of her mother's ability to get out of bed for a month while the gashes healed.

A sigh escape her lips, the memory going from happy to sad in an instant. But she stood by her decision all those years ago. She wouldn't _ever_ let _anyone_ harm her flower, not even her own mother, whether it be the plant growing from the dirt in their yard, or her own physical purity. And it was only when Dame had come of age herself that she realized her experience, then, was a sign, to never give it up to the first man who showed interest in her. To _kill_ to protect it, if she had to. And Dame smirked, for she had done that, and more, in her years of life. And she would do it countless times after. _No doubt about it,_ she thought with cold eyes.

Realization hit her, suddenly, that she was approaching her house. Her facade went back into play, and her usual motherly air came back from it's temporary sleep, replacing her memories and emotions that had previously filled her face and mind only a moment before.

"Elizabeth, darling, I'm home!" she exclaimed upon unlocking the gate, the basket swinging cheerily in her hand. A bit of a clatter was heard, and Dame paused as she heard a slight whisper, and then quick footsteps. _What on earth...?_ Dame thought, her expression slowly turning to one of selfish worry, eyebrows furrowing. "Elizabeth?" she called, approaching the front door.

"S-sorry, Mother!" Elizabether replied, the clanking ceasing and a set of bare feet were heard pitter-pattering towards the front door. The redheaded girl quickly opened the door, sucking on the side of her hand while doing so. Dame looked expectantly to her daughter as she walked in, placing the basket on the table. "I-I was scrubbing a pan, because I know you like to make soup on my birthday, and I burned my hand..." Elizabeth said, showing Dame the red splotch forming on the left side of her left palm.

"Oh, darling, be careful, you don't want to get injured on your birthday..." Dame said, kissing the wound with a chuckle. Elizabeth gave a giggle, and Dame smiled again. "Thank you for doing your chores, even on your birthday, darling."

"Of course, Mother. Anything for you."

Dame saw that oblivious devotion Elizabeth had in her eyes and inwardly scoffed. Only Dame knew what was to really happen to that young woman on the eighteenth anniversary of her birth, but even so, she didn't show any sign of what was to come. She couldn't risk it, not even if she were only hours away from...

_No, stop that. Don't even think about it until the time comes._

Elizabeth giggled again, and then took Dame to the Garden. "Mother, look, the flower is in full bloom!"

Dame smiled lovingly as she stared at the golden flower, sprouted from the soil in all of it's perfection, ready to be crushed and used in-

_Damn you, Dame, not _yet_!_

"Thank you, darling," she replied, petting Elizabeth's silken red curls, "it's absolutely _perfect_." At this, Elizabeth smiled, looking intently at her mother, in a way that Dame could easily read. And so she chuckled, kissing her head. "I'll get started on dinner and dessert. Alright?" she said, heading back into the house, who nodded eagerly, following her. "Oh darling, I swear!" Dame laughed, "Sometimes you just don't resemble a girl of age _one bit_!" she said, pinching her cheeks lightly. "Go on and tend to the flower for a bit," she said, grabbing her ingredients, "dinner should be ready in two hours."

Elizabeth obediently went outside, shutting the door behind her.

And an entire hour passed, quickly, for Dame. She simply had to cook and think of other things a mother would think of. How long to leave the soup on, how hot the fire should or shouldn't be, what chores still had to be done afterwards, when the cake would be ready, so on. She smiled to herself, stirring the soup one last time before leaving it to finish simmering for the next hour, and then check on the cake.

"Not quite..." she said, before shutting the oven once more.

"..._dinner yet_."

Dame blinked upon hearing the faint sound of Elizabeth's voice, and as she slowly stood up, she heard the girl's signature giggle. Who, on _earth,_ could she be talking to? Certainly not the _flower._ Dame looked to the window, seeing it cracked an inch, and then quietly approached it, thoughts buzzing through her head. Had someone come into the yard? Who could it be? Why didn't Elizabeth call for help?

_Calm yourself,_ she thought with a silent sigh, placing her ear beside the opening in the window, perpendicular to the garden. In all honesty, she could have even opened it another inch or two without anyone noticing, but she wasn't thinking of that at the moment. _For all I know, she _could_ be talking to the flower... She's a strange little brat._

"When will you be done with dinner? Will your mother be going out again?" a masculine voice asked faintly, obviously attempting to be quiet. Dame's eyes went wide and her mouth fell agape.

"She usually stays in for my birthday, but... I don't know. She was acting strange today. She might go out after a while," Elizabeth's voice was heard whispering in reply.

Dame seethed, her eyes narrowing into slits. How _dare_ that little wench see someone behind her own mother's back! After _everything_ Dame taught her, the effort she put into teaching that stolen child to _never_ give herself up to a man!

"Well then... Perhaps I could steal your lips before I go for the night?"

_No... Elizabeth _wouldn't...

"Of course, as long as you promise to stay close... just incase."

Dame was in absolute shock, her eyes wide and mouth practically to the floor as she heard the sound of _kissing_ coming from the garden.

_Elizabeth _would..._ Even after _everything_ I've done for that little traitor!_ Dame's thoughts were consumed with all of the rage she had kept bottled up that day. Her hands clenched as she heard the sound of boots running through grass, followed by bare feet shuffling and then a quiet, _happy_ giggle.

_How _dare_ she!_

That was all Dame could think as she seethed with pure rage, staring at the wall.

_Elizabeth will pay dearly for this betrayal... I'll make the ceremony painful, or would that be a waste? _Dame's jumping thoughts had turned to punishment, for the little swine's lies, her... Her absolute disregard for her own mother's teachings! A mother's lessons were _laws_ to be obeyed! How dare she? How _dare_ she!

The young woman's footsteps were light and dreamy as Dame heard rhythmic steps and stomps.

_That little _bitch_ is dancing for joy! _Dame felt all of her suppressed anger and frustrations boiling over. Oh, how she wanted nothing more than to wrap her aging hands around that thin throat and squeeze the _life_ right out of that swine, until she turned _several_ shades of blue! How dare she! This wasn't going to be overlooked. It would be taken care of, this woman had no doubt about that. Dame would make the stolen child pay. Perhaps she'll-

Dame was very suddenly pulled back to reality when the back door opened and bare feet stepped towards the kitchen.

And then, through the works of what could only be deemed as an _absolute miracle_, Dame's facade once more appeared. However, inside, it was much harder to keep the thoughts from surfacing. So much harder. Dame was on an invisible defense in her thoughts, while on an invisible offense in the real world. She had to be able to act exactly as she normally did around Elizabeth. But her agonzingly _distracting_ thoughts were making it hard to cope with this betrayal! Dame gave a quiet sigh as she realized she was stirring the soup. There _had_ to be a way to fix this, that didn't involve ruining her ceremony. She couldn't risk damaging the girl, for the girl was just as important as the flower. Neither could be used improperly, or else eighteen years will have been for absolute naught.

"Mother, the flower's so beautiful!" Elizabeth chirped, loose auburn curls bouncing slightly in the happy and giddy steps that only annoyed Dame _that much more_.

"You seem happy," Dame immediately responded, before inwardly kicking herself. She had almost cut Elizabeth off with that statement! As if she knew something! _Damn it, Dame, pull yourself together and calm down! It's not like she gave herself away to the man! _The woman finally managed to tell herself as she looked to a very happy and still oblivious Elizabeth.

"Of course I am, the flower's in full bloom on my birthday! How can I _not_ be?" Elizabeth said rather convincingly, her sky blue orbs shining innocently up into her mother's, never wavering. If Dame _hadn't_ known any better, she _would_ have been convinced. Perhaps Elizabeth _did_ pick something up from her mother...

At this half joking and half morbid thought, Dame nearly chuckled. But instead she held her breath abd gritted her teeth, pursing her lips as she pretended to smell the soup. Once the false mother was sure she wouldn't make a noise, she truly inhaled through her nose, and closed her eyes for good measure. Then her eyes opened once more as the fire under the pot went out.

"The soup is done, Elizabeth."


	3. Prologue, part 3

Dame Gothel had spent the last ten minutes watching Elizabeth clumsily clink her spoon into the bowl, scrape up a spoonful of soup, and slurp it only every other spoonful.

How in the _hell_ can _one _little girl be so annoying?

Perhaps it had to do with the secret betrayal that had gone on just a little beforehand, but oh no, Dame wasn't one to rush to conclusions... She had also spent the last thirty minutes calculating her next several moves.

She knew exactly what signs to look for if she wanted the opportune moment to ask her daughter of this incident; she knew exactly what would go through that not-so-innocent mind of hers, in the form of many racing and panicked thoughts and possible excuses; she knew how to respond to anything that the girl could possibly come up with; if it came down to it, she'd lock the girl away in a tower to keep her from that boy.

"Mother," Elizabeth began in her sudden chirpy voice, setting the spoon down as she looked up to Dame.

_Finally._

Dame's slightly bored expression turned to one of curiousity in response to Elizabeth's address to her.

Elizabeth seemed to hesitate over something, and then she looked away, twidling a lock of auborn hair between her thumb and index finger.

"What is it, darling?" Dame asked, sitting upright again, having finished her soup twenty minutes ago. "You look troubled."

Elizabeth sighed, then shook her head, falling silent once more.

_Good, silence means a guilty conscience._

Dame tilted her head in confusion at her daughter, reaching across the table and gentley cupping her hand, causing the girl to suddenly give a quiet giggle and then look to her mother with pleading eyes.

"You can always see right through me, Mother," Elizabeth sighed, brushing her fingers through her hair to pull several stray locks from her face. "I have something to ask you, but... first, there's something I have to tell you."

_Right where I want her._

Dame's expression was surprised, and most definitely curious. But the look that somehow put young Elizabeth on edge, was a look of _disappointment._

_And there goes the realization._

Elizabeth's eyes said it all. The idea of Mother knowing what she had been doing had been planted in her mind, and now it was growing, growing, growing, as the pieces all came together like an invisible puzzle before her. The strange look in Mother's eyes as she finished cooking dinner, the awful negative energy she felt from her, the almost cautious way Mother had been speaking and acting... All of it. She only hoped and prayed it was just her sudden and growing paranoia. The latter would be easier to handle. But... If Mother knew...

_How foolish she must think she is, thinking she could decieve her own mother._

A heavy silence fell upon the both of them, eachother's own thoughts the only things making noise within their heads, buzzing, both in unrest. Both equally panicked and frightened. Both for entirely different reasons. One unaware of the other's true motive.

_Now's the perfect chance._

"You're talking about that boy, aren't you?" Dame asked, tilting her head the other way, and she stared right into the shocked and guilt-ridden eyes of her daughter as they widened futher. Elizabeth's mouth parted ever-so-slightly, but no sound, not even a squeak, came from it. Utter shock had stilled the girl, stilled her to the point of hardly breathing. Then, she sighed as that spell released her, looking down.

"Mother, I..." she began once more, before Dame crossed her arms at her daughter in absolute disapproval. This once more silenced Elizabeth as she took in a few breaths to calm her erratic heartbeat. "Yes, mother, it is. I'm sorry, I should have told you-"

"Yes. _You should have._"

Elizabeth sighed, her wide eyes glistening with forming tears. She couldn't begin to apologize even if she knew how to. She couldn't find good enough words to excuse herself... To excuse seeing him...

Elizabeth blinked in silent realization. Why _should_ she excuse herself? She met a boy whom she can trust, and there is nothing wrong with that! There's nothing wrong with her feelings for him! Why should she apologize for aligning with her own heart? Elizabeth pursed her lips as she looked to the floor, her heart racing. There was no turning back, the truth was out. She had to speak her mind.

"Do you even realize your betrayal, Elizabeth?" Dame began with a quiet sigh, her eyebrows furrowed. "Can you even begin to _fathom_ how broken my trust is in you? I-"

"Mother, I'm in love with him!"

Dame's eyes went wide momentarily, staring incredulously at the stolen child.

"Love?" Dame said suddenly, standing to her feet so quickly that the chair previously holding her fell backwards on its hind legs and clattered to the floor. The noise echoed as one more momentary silence settled in the heavy air, practically choking the both of them, mother and daughter. Dame took in a breath and laughed harshly, her icy eyes staring her daughter up and down. "_Love,_ darling? You're only _eighteen years old_, you think you've found _love?_" Dame's voice had risen an octave as she spoke in a surprisingly level voice, approaching her daughter so quickly that the girl barely had time to stand before Dame had towered over her and sent her right back into her chair in shock and fright. "Did you not listen all these years, when I told you to _always_ stay hidden?" Dame asked, shaking her head as Elizabeth looked into the eyes of her mother, who was absolutely _infuriated_ for the first time in her eighteen years of life.

"Yes, Mother, I-"

"Did you not listen when I told you to _never_ trust anyone but me? To never ackknowledge or listen if anyone were to approach, to listen _only_ to me?" Dame's voice had risen again, not only in octave, but in volume.

"Mother, if you would just listen to _me _-"

Dame scoffed, rolling her eyes up and to the side as she turned away, inwardly relieved to finally be able to express the emotions she was feeling. But she did not falter, not once. She simply looked like the hurt and disappointed mother she made herself out to be. And that was enough. Enough to send Elizabeth into an emotionally-induced, but very physical, cripple, and remain in her seat at the overwhelming mix of guilt and self-satisfaction by her actions against her mother. Actions that lifted and yet weighed down on her young heart.

Dame glanced around the room, attempting to calm herself. She sighed, smoothing out her hair and running her fingertips through it momentarily, before turning to Elizabeth once more, who flinched in guilt and averted her gaze.

_Now, the bargain._

"Darling," Dame sighed, calmly approaching her daughter and taking her hand, oh so gently. In response, Elizabeth looked up at her mother, tears threatening to spill over but not quite at that stage. Dame easily peeked through those glass orbs into her mind. The girl was hoping Dame was coming around. _As if._ "Darling," she began once more, pulling her daughter to her bosom in a comforting embrace, stroking her auburn locks and falling silent for a moment as her eyes slipped closed. Then she opened them and looked right into the blue orbs intently. "You must stop seeing him. Break it off, do you understand?"

Elizabeth was still as she took in what her mother was ordering of her. Break it off...? End it, without a second thought? Just like _that_? The girl felt the tears, previously subsiding in the embrace, well up once more.

"Mother, I..."

Dame took Elizabeth by the shoulders, gently, using as much self-restraint that she could possibly muster, and stared at her, her eyes unwavering and resolute, just as her tone. "_Do you understand, Elizabeth_?"

Elizabeth's eyes stared right back, as an unexpected change happened within them in response. Something Dame immediately recognized, and her own eyes went wide at this. This change that was happening in her daughter was not good. Elizabeth pulled herself out of her mother's arms and took a few steps back, hugging herself and hunching over slightly.

"No."

Dame's heart dropped.

There was a deadly silence in the air between the mother and daughter, now feuding. Dame stared at her rebelling daughter, the innocence about her suddenly gone, replaced by sheer resolution and will. Something obviously learned from her mother. Dame's mouth opened and closed several times, until she gritted her teeth and tilted her head.

"_No?_" Dame asked, placing her hands at her hips and sticking her neck out to incredulously gaze at the rebel. She nearly spoke again, in an attempt to lash out at her verbally, attempt to widdle her confidence down until she broke and became that small girl once more. But then, Dame closed her mouth. _I might as well have some fun before she dies. I'll let her tell her side._

"No," Elizabeth said again, shaking her head. "No, Mother. I love him, and I'm not going to be alone for the rest of my life because you don't want me to see him. You haven't even _met_ him!" she stated matter-of-factly, her hunch straightening as her thoughts and feelings were finally set free, as well.

Dame seemed to contemplate for a moment, and a bit of hope welled within Elizabeth's erratic chest. Dame saw this, then sighed.

"Fine. Tell me about him."

Elizabeth gave a half smile, and then began her explanation of how their "love" came to be.

The story started, and she had been in the garden three months ago ( _how dare she keep that secret for three entire months? _) when she heard unfamiliar footsteps approaching their cottage. And then she saw a shadow as a tall young man, only several years older than her, climbed up onto the stone wall, intending back then to perhaps snag some fruit from their tree ( _no wonder there was less to harvest, she's been giving it away to him!_ ), when their eyes met. Elizabeth had freaked out and thrown a small shovel at his head at first, and then had apologized and began speaking with him when she realized that he wasn't so scary. First, in an attempt to get him to leave, but he had already been entranced by her beauty and wasn't going to be persuaded to leave so easily ( _he probably just wanted in her undergarments, like all men! )_. Before Elizabeth had realized it, they had been secretly seeing eachother for two weeks. And then he kissed her, it was the happiest day of her life! And then, a month had gone by, but it certainly didn't _feel_ like it, and-

Dame interrupted the now-ramblings of her daughter with a sigh. "And what is his name, dear?"

Elizabeth giggled. "His name is Alec."

Dame nodded quietly, seeing the happiness in Elizabeth's eyes simply at the memories of him.

"You really do love him, don't you?" Dame asked, tilting Elizabeth's chin up to look at her. Elizabeth smiled a bit and nodded, her eyes showing a happiness in them that Dame had never seen before. Dame watched her daughter for a moment, before shaking her head with another sigh. "I'm sorry, dear. All the more reason for you to leave him."

Elizabeth's face fell.

"Mother, how could you say that, after everything I've told you?" Elizabeth practically shrieked, ripping herself away from her grip and backing away by several large strides. Dame groaned, running her hand over her face in exasperation.

"Elizabeth-"

"No, Mother! No! I won't!" Elizabeth said, her long-brimming tears now falling from her eyes.

"And _why not_?" Dame demanded, becoming very tired of her daughter's foolishness.

"I can't! I just can't!"

"There has to be a better reason, dear!" Dame said in a daunting singsong voice, stepping closer to her daughter as the girl's posture hunched again, hugging herself once more, practically backing herself into the wall to keep distance between the two of them, making Dame grit her teeth in frustration. "Elizabeth, come h-"

"_NO!_" Elizabeth shrieked, clutching at herself and pressing against the wall.

_That little-_

Dame's eyes widened as they trailed downward from her daughter's hysterical face, as she really, truly _saw_ Elizabeth's posture for the first time that day. The way she hunched over, almost as if she were going to be sick. Her arms, the way she was hugging herself... The area she was protectively placing her hands... The area just above her pelvis.

A wave of sickness washed over Dame in gruesome realization.

_No! She... She can't be...!_ Dame thought with wide, frightened eyes, her mouth falling agape once more. And then she remembered, that tiny bump on her daughter's belly that morning when she had gotten dressed. A _baby _bump.

"You're _pregnant!_" Dame shrieked, half in accusation, half in fact.

_This ruins everything! That damned girl gave it up, and now she's ruined it all! I'll see to it they both pay! Her and that... that _pimp_ of hers!_

Dame's enraged and viciously lashing thoughts buzzed so quickly, that she barely had time to percieve Elizabeth making her way to the back door like a bat out of hell.

"No, you don't!" Dame hissed, grabbing her and pulling her back into the house before the girl could even call her lover's name.

"You can't keep us apart, Mother! I'm going with him, we're raising our child together! You can't stop us!" Elizabeth yelled, kicking and thrashing as Dame carried her to her room with slight struggle. Once she managed to put the girl in her bed, she had already locked the window and taken the key. She then began backing away to the door as Elizabeth tried to get back out.

_We'll see about that._

Dame shut the door and locked it from the outside as Elizabeth's cries and frantic pounding could be heard through the locked barrier Dame had created. Elizabeth cried and shrieked and kicked and screamed, wanting nothing more than to be with Alec again and get away from her mother.

And then, two hours passed, the cries dying and the pounding softening as the trapped girl wore herself out trying to convince her mother to free her. Now, a slight knock was heard every other minute, and several minutes had gone by as Dame sat in the kitchen, trying to figure out what she would do.

_Knock._

_The spell will only work if the girl is of age and a virgin... Elizabeth is only one of the two... How can this be fixed?_ Dame was silently weeping, afraid for her own self-preservation, flipping back to the beginning of the chapter in the book. _There must be something. It's impossible to find a girl of age that is still a virgin these days... Even the girl I raised to be, isn't one!_

_Knock._

Dame sighed, closing the book and tossing it aside, allowing it to fall to the floor from her lap, deeming it utterly useless, now. With a heavy _thunk,_ it fell onto it's side. Dame wiped at her eyes and sniffed, attempting to clear her own vision that had blurred from her tears.

"Damn it all..." Dame sighed, tempted to yank all of her beautiful hair out because of this betrayal.

_Knock._

"Be quiet..." Dame hissed, finding it hard at the moment to ignore her daughter. She sighed, her eyes resting once more on the book, before she growled and kicked at it in frustration. The book flipped over and then a soft fluttering noise alerted Dame of a stray piece of paper moving between the momentarily open pages. A sudden flashback, of many years ago, went through her mind, where she had discovered the spell by chance. And then Dame had the book once more as she pulled herself back into reality, gripping at the spine so it would open just enough. She saw a piece of parchment, and her heart began racing as she gripped onto it and pulled it loose from its confinement in the temporarily useless book.

The parchment's origin was from a previous user, scrawled in ink and carefully pressed so a wrinkle was not found.

_In the event of a young woman not being a virgin, but the user is truly in the need of the spell, it can be performed as per usual, with half of the youth given back instead of the full amount._

Dame's eyes widened at this discovered fact, and she stood, looking around in a frenzy, making sure she was not being watched. And then everything she needed to do fell into place in her mind. She knew _exactly_ what had to happen.

And with that, Dame went to her dresser, grabbing her cloak. She nearly turned, when a glint caught her eye. She paused, then grabbed her dagger, hiding it flawlessly on her person.

_Ready or not, Alec..._ Dame thought, heading out the front door, _here I come._

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, everyone! I finally updated! Okay, I know this cliffhanger might be confusing, but I promise it will all come together later on in the story! And I hope you enjoy it. Next up, is Rapunzel! Review, it cheers me up!<strong>_  
><em>


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